Dr Neeraj Jandial
The ascension of Taliban regime in Afghanistan in the wake of USA’s pulling back from Kabul in August,2021 has witnessed the curtailing of liberties exercised by the Afghan population . Particularly, the section of population which has been most affected by the imprudent policies of Taliban government has been the Afghan women .
The Taliban has initiated regressive policies against the Afghan women which has pushed them to the corner and relegated them to a degraded status .The situation as it exists there brings back memories of a period resembling the “dark ages” to an observer who has been tracking the situation or to a native there who has been at a receiving end of their injustices.
The situation in Afghanistan is going from bad to worse with each passing day. The girls’ there have been gradually withdrawn from schools by the Taliban and not allowed to return pending the decision by them in this regard .Though women have been allowed to teach and partake in the medical field to provide services, they are only allowed to do so in the presence of a mahram (male companion .)
The university ban is one of the several restrictions imposed on women since the Taliban stormed back to power and has sparked global outrage across the muslim world. The Taliban government imposed the ban after accusing women students of ignoring a strict dress code and a requirement to be accompanied by a male relative to and from campus. The Taliban’s decision to ban came even as most universities had already introduced gender segregated entrances and classrooms as well as allowing women to be taught only by female professors or elderly men.
In May,2022, the Taliban had ordered all women to appear with a face veil in public ,in addition to a full-length burqa. The order also covered Television presenters and initially led to some protests. The harsh conditions impelled many female journalists ‘to quit their profession or work off air. A survey by Reporters Without Borders last year found that more than 75% of female journalists’ had lost their jobs since the Taliban took over as foreign forces withdrew in August,2021.The ban also extends to women working in the non-government organization( NGO) sector, causing economic and social upheaval in the country. Carrying forward their excesses, the Taliban have stopped the sale of contraceptives in two of Afghanistan’s main cities namely the capital Kabul and Mazar -i- Sharif as reported by the Guardian .
In another anti-women diktat, the Taliban government has annulled divorce in Afghanistan, forcing divorced women to go back to their abusive husbands. According to the UN mission in the country, nine out of ten women in Afghanistan experience physical, sexual or psychological violence from their partner.
The anti-women Taliban decisions have faced international condemnation even by some Muslim countries. The state of Qatar expressed deep concern over the Afghan government’s decisions which negatively affect Afghan women and girls’ rights , especially suspending their studies in secondary schools, universities and banning their work in non-governmental organizations.
The deputy foreign minister of Turkiye, Mehmet Kemal Bozay stated that the international community must not allow the situation in Afghanistan to deteriorate even further.
The secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC ) , Hissein Brahim Taha called for an international campaign to convince the Taliban to reverse a ban on female education.He further said that “the Taliban’s decision is not based on Islamic law”.
According to UNESCO, currently 80% of school aged Afghan girls and young women totalling 2.5 million people are out of school. The Taliban’s decision to keep girls ‘schools shut has reversed significant gains in female education during the past 20 years.
Roza Obunbayeva, special representative of the UN secretary general for Afghanistan and head of the UN’s assistance mission in the country noted that the Taliban continue to impose increasingly harsh conditions on women following up the ban on education. With bans on visiting parks or working for NGOs, mandatory face coverings are also being re-imposed and women are reportedly no longer allowed to leave their homes without a male relative. In a statement marking International Women’s Day, she stated that, “It has been distressing to witness their methodical, deliberate and systematic efforts to push Afghan women and girls’ out of the public sphere.”
According to Otunbayeva , a former Kyrgyz President and the first female head of state of a Central Asian country, even essential aid is at risk because many donor countries and bodies have tied aid to the improvement in human rights in the country. The USA has made it clear that they do not want to let the Taliban think they can have it both ways by failing to meet its commitments under the Doha agreement, while continuing to receive aid.
The Reuters has reported that the UN has asked the Taliban to remove the restrictions on girls and women from studying and working. In response, the Taliban have said that they respect women’s rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic laws and Afghan culture .To further their agenda, the Taliban authorities’ have set up a committee to examine perceived issues in order to work towards re-opening girl’s schools.
Despite the international community criticism and pressure, the Taliban’s outlook on women’s rights remains unchanged. Worse, the effects of climate change and economic difficulties have plunged Afghans further into turmoil, with 28 million people now dependent on aid for survival.
It is high time that the Taliban government undertake an in-depth analysis and have a relook at their policies which has only brought antipathy and rebuke to their regime. The international opinion across the different shades of opinion is overwhelmingly against them. They should better take a course correction, otherwise doom stares them in the ensuing future.
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